Nikita Rao, MPH, BS (Hon)

Dr. Nikita Rao is a health outcomes researcher whose work spans health disparities, place-based social determinants of health, and applied health economics. At the Yale School of Public Health, she leads analyses for pilot randomized controlled trials, conducts psychometric evaluations of mental health and behavioral measures, and supports systematic reviews and data dashboard development to advance Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) research. Her doctoral training at Georgia State University included a multi-method dissertation integrating multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, and meta-analysis to understand how social determinants shape health equity, alongside a postdoctoral fellowship focused on mapping care pathways for unhoused individuals in Atlanta. Prior to her PhD, Dr. Rao worked as a clinical outcomes researcher at the University of Washington and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, contributing to multicenter clinical trials, regulatory processes, and the development and validation of patient-reported outcome measures.